Q is for Question: Ask Me This if You Want to See Me Sweat

I guess Q is also for quirk, because today's post is going to divulge a quirk of mine. It's Saturday, so I figure we'll have some fun.

Here goes: If I am asked to name my favorite (movie, book, food, Beatle, anything), I instantly break into a sweat and start to panic a little.

I have major commitment issues, though not when it comes to actual commitment. I got married at the are-these-kids-serious age of 22. That was almost eight years ago and every day I wake up a little happier I made the decision to marry my amazing husband. (Please don't do the math because then you'll realize I'm about to turn 30 and I'm not entirely ok with that yet.)

My commitment issues tend to pop up over minor matters. In fact, the more minor the matter, the faster it sends me into a nail-biting tizzy. I once had to choose between soup and salad at Chili's. I chose soup, but as soon as the waiter left I changed my mind. I ended up leaping out of the booth and shouting, "Wait! Salad! Salaaaaaad!" in a desperate voice akin to Stanley Kowalski's famous cry for Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire. I should mention that this particular waiter displayed a remarkable amount of grace and seemed unfazed by my outburst. Whew.

Occasionally people will discover I'm a writer and they'll ask, "Who is your favorite writer?" It's such an innocuous, small-talk question, yet every time it's asked I find myself flustered and stammering until someone changes the subject. It's as if all my credibility is hanging on this one simple answer. And besides, I absolutely love to read, but during this particular season of my life most of the books I read contain short rhyming words and lots of pictures. "I'm a huge fan of Sandra Boynton - her early work, not the overly-commercialized boxed sets. Because I'm a purist."

The favorite writer question is by far my least favorite writing-related question to answer. A close second is any sort of question that assumes my fictional writing to be 100% based on real people and things. "Is this character me?" or "When did that happen to you?" These are the things that keep me up at night, people.

So now you know how to send me into a tailspin. Just thought I'd share something fun, because there are only so many words that start with the letter Q. Enjoy your weekend everyone, and Happy Easter!